The Hunter
by Tu
Summary: Someone or Something from the past has come to Sunnydale.
1. Chapter 1

Title: The Hunter

Author: Tu

Rating: Pg/R

Disclaimer: I don't own Buffy the Vampire Slayer or anyone that was on the show.

Author's Note: I wrote this sometime ago. I finally decided to post it. Takes place after Graduation.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Prologue 

950AD.

He was dead meat. He had managed to out run the mob in the village. But he knew he could not out run IT. He was breathing hard as he ran through the forest. He could hear the sound of pounding hooves getting closer. It was almost dawn. If he could get to the caves he would be all right.

Connor knew he was going to die, again. He had lay dying on the battlefield when he was offered eternal life. He had taken it. Being a vampire had its advantages. He could do so much more than he could before. Yet like all his kind he feared the sun and THEM

"Death has come for you, evil one."

"Who said that?" Connor asked, though deep in his bones he knew.

"I did." A shadow separated itself from the trees. "I have come for you demon."

Connor skid to a halt. He knew who this was. All vampires knew. This one was an enemy. One who could not die. If blood had still coursed through his veins, Connor knew it would be frozen. This was a killer. His life was over again, but this time there would be no coming back. He turned to run. Suddenly an arrow pierced his heart.

As the vampire know as Connor exploded into dust, the shadow merged back into the forest. A group of men on horses came into view. The men pulled their mounts up.

"Hell's blood. He's gone." The leader cried.

The other riders crossed themselves. This creature was a hunter of the night and evil. What could have k8illed it? A shadow passed in the forest.

"Halt. Who goes there?" The leader called out.

A figure came out of the shadows. All the riders knew who this person was. She had lost so much. None could look at her. The whole village gad seen the destruction at her home not three months ago.

The girl looked at the riders. Outwardly she looked like a young girl of fifteen. Her expression was one of profound loss. These men knew that she had lost her whole family to the creatures of the night. Inwardly she was something much different.

"Did you catch the man who killed my brother?" she enquired. She had a wide-eyed look. As if they could catch him, she thought. None of the men could meet her eyes.

"No. He is gone." The leader answered.

The girl seemed to collapse inwardly. Her death wail could be heard all through the forest. The leader picked her up and took her back to the village. The mob that had formed was gone. The whole village was weeping for the little girls little brother. The leader took her to her hut. An old woman stood in front of it." Come now little one," the old woman said," we must prepare your brother for his walk to the next life."

The girl simply nodded. It was as if she had no strength to fight.

"I will return with the items we need." The old woman left. She crossed herself as she left. The girl's family was gone but still she lived. Maybe she was cursed.

The girl waited for the old woman to leave. The young boy's body lay on a table near her. In truth he was not her brother. She had no family. What family she had had was now dust. She guarded the boy only to fill a debt she owed to his father. The father had saved her life. She shuddered at the memory.

The mask she wore slipped. To long had she lingered in this village. Someone would uncover her secret. All ready they whispered that she was cursed. It was time to move on. Have I not learned anything in my years on this earth, she thought. It was time to return to the castle. The OTHERS would be waiting. What few where left.

She looked over at the boy. He had gone against her will. He had tried to control a creature of the night with magic. The vampire he had summoned had turned on him and killed him. She felt little guilt about his death.

"Go to the next world, boy," she said,"But in the next life listen to what your elders tell you."

She could hear the old woman returning. The old one crossed herself as she walked. If only you knew what I was, she thought, you would cross yourself. She turned her back to the door and began the spell. A portal formed on the back wall. She stepped through it. As it closed she could hear the old woman screaming.


	2. Chapter 2

Title: The Hunter 

Author: Tu

Rating: PG/R

Disclaimer: see chapter one.

Author's Notes: a short chapter.

Sunnydale

Buffy easily dispatched the two vampires that had come at her. It seemed like all the vamps she staked lately were newbies.

"Well, I guess I should head to Giles place." She said looking at the piles of dust.

As she walked toward Giles apartment, Buffy thought about what had happened lately. She had finally graduated. She was heading to UC Sunnydale. Ok, not my first choice, she thought. Angel had left her. Oh, bad train of thought. She had quit the council. She was no longer their puppet. She was still the Slayer, thought. As long as the Hellmouth was around it looked like she would have to stick around. Giles apartment building loomed ahead.

"I wonder what Giles's neighbors must think about people going in and out at all hours of the night." She said out loud.

"Buffy, wait up." Cried a familiar voice.

Turning, Buffy saw Xander, Willow, and Oz coming up the street. Ah, she thought, the ones who keep me sane. She stopped and waited for them.

"So, how was slaying tonight?" Xander quipped," Did we meet our quota?'

"Nope. It's like there's nobody around." She answered.

Willow and Oz just looked at each other. They all knew when things got slow on the slaying end, bad news was coming.

"So what's up? Buffy asked as the walked.

"Not much. Can't get a guitar rift right." Oz countered.

Buffy was still amazed by Oz's mood structure. Nothing seemed to faze him. Only he would state, after learning that vampires where real, that it explained a lot of things. As they entered the foray of the building, Buffy looked at her friends. They had seen countless horrors and endured things that no one should go through. Yet after all that, they still hung out with her. They walked toward Giles door. Each was deep in thought. Giles said nothing as he opened the door. The look on his face said it all. He knew something was going to happen. And as Xander would say, nothing good ever happens here.

Outside the building, a strange glow came from the alley. If someone had looked down in it, they would see a swirling portal on one of the walls. Had they watched longer they would have seen a figure emerge from the portal. Or what they thought was a figure. A hush came over the town. All evil seemed to recoil in fear. A strange and eerie figure stood in the alley. Dressed all in black, it seemed to melt and blend into the darkness. It climbed the side of the building and stopped at the window of Rupert Giles apartment. It listened to the conversation inside.

"Giles, this is stupid." Buffy said." I haven't seen a decent vampire in weeks."

"Perhaps you've scared them." He replied sarcastically.

"Oh—maybe they finally realized that Sunnydale isn't so sunny and left. Oh, wait, that doesn't make sense." Willow remarked.

Willow slumped back down on the couch. Oz put his arm around her. Buffy just stared. From somewhere in Giles's fridge came Xander's voice." Is anyone else at all scared at the low numbers of deaths? Not that I'm complaining. It just seems that there's always a calm before hell breaks lose."

The figure grew bored listening to them. It knew that the time to reveille itself was soon. Soon it would extract its debt. As long as no one called in a debt it owed him or her, it could leave soon.


	3. Chapter 3

Title: The Hunter

Author: Tu 

Disclaimer: See chapter One.

Joyce Summers looked out at the gathering at the gallery. It was a bigger turn out than she expected. She looked at the crowd. There were a few potential buyers. Most were just here to see the works. Buffy had said that she would try to come if it was a light night. Come to think of it, Buffy had been coming home early then usual the last few nights. Joyce didn't know whether to cheer or start praying. A movement at the door caught her eye. Buffy, Willow, Oz, and Xander had entered. Oz was at the receiving end of some stares that he ignored. His hair was a sort of jet jet black. Why he changed it back and forth was a mystery. Willow seemed to be drawn toward the center pieces of work. Xander was busy looking at a row of swords on the wall. Oz seemed very interested in a suit of armor. Buffy was making her way toward her.

"So, what is all this stuff, Mom? Did the museum go out of business?" Buffy asked.

"No, It's a collection of weaponry, medieval, and pre-roman items." Joyce answered, "It's a small part of the largest privately owned collection in the world. I can't even begin to display all of it. The pieces that are out are the ones being sold."

"Rich guy out of money, check." Buffy said nodding.

A noise drew Joyce's attention toward Xander. He seemed to be trying to remove one of the swords from the display. A familiar figure moved to intercept him.

"It would not be good to decapitate yourself."

So Giles had made it after all. Joyce, Buffy, and Oz moved toward him. A crossbow on the wall caught Buffy's attention. It looked very, very familiar.

"Hey, don't we have one of these?" Buffy asked.

"Yeap, that looks like one of ours." Xander replied.

Giles seemed to be studying the sword Xander had take down. He looked as he always did. Oh great, Buffy thought, research mode. Willow came over to the group looking very confused.

"Giles, I think you should look at the center display. It shouldn't be here. A lot of this stuff shouldn't be here….but I mean.. How can it be here..it…" Willow stammered. Giles set the sword back on its mount.

The group moved toward the center display. It was completely surrounded by people. It consisted of three pieces. The first was some kind of an alter. The third was a sword. The middle was a large slab of stone. Coming out of the stone was a rose. All three had tags on them indicating they were not for sell. Why would anyone want this, Buffy thought.

"Where did you get this?" Giles asked. The tone of his voice made them all turn. Buffy had never seen him like this. It was as if all the blood in his body had taken a trip south.

"It was part of the collection." Joyce said."I had to display it or I couldn't show the rest.

It' can't be the same stone,Giles thought. He looked at the rest of the group. Xander and Oz were looking at the sword. Willow was staring at the alter. Joyce had moved away to talk to some patrons. Giles finally looked at Buffy. Are you all right, her look said. He just nodded. Hopefully he could find IT before IT found him.

It looks like a harmless stone, tacky but harmless, what could scare Giles like that, Buffy thought. "That sword looks cool." She said out loud.

"It may look harmless, but it is actually quite powerful," a voice beside Buffy said. "And the sword can kill most men who touch it."

Buffy turned, a strange felling on the back of her neck toward the voice. "Oh, like how?" she asked.

A girl her age stood beside her. The girl smiled at her then spoke." Many years ago, the earth was in great peril. Demons walked the earth. Man was just food for them. But man began to grow stronger. A warrior was sent forth to the ranks of the demons. This warrior gave birth to a greater warrior. A child of good and evil, of mortal and immortal blood. This child would guard the earth for all time. This child would keep the balance between good and evil. This sword and stone were formed the instant of the child's birth. The alter was the sit of the birth."

"So, what, this is like a signal. You know, to call the kid?" Xander asked.

"No," Giles said," It is the mark which IT leaves. A calling card, if you will."

"Ok, Earth to Giles. Speak Buffy English. Who or What is IT? And who owns this stuff?" Buffy asked.

Even as she asked, Buffy had the feeling she didn't want to know. Looking around her, she knew that no one else really wanted to know either.

"IT is the Hunter." The girl answered. "The Hunter owns all of this and more."


	4. Chapter 4

Title: The Hunter 

Author: Tu

Disclaimer: I don't own BTVS, if I did it would still be on. And Spike would be tied to my bed.

Author's note: For the sake of this story, Spike got Dru back for a while. Then she leaves him and he turns Harmony, the moron.

Spike knew that Dru was going to be mad when she woke up. He had promised to take her to L.A. She hated Sunnydale. Spike knew the Slayer was still here, but was willing to take the risk. But he had no choice, really. He could feel HER. He needed a favor. Parked at the city limit sign, he wondered how much SHE hated him.

1890's

He was known as William then. Actually, William the Bloody. He was a terror. He had just caught a nice bite to eat and was just starting in, when SHE came. Riding on a jet-black horse, the mark of IT on HER. She even smelled like IT.

"Your life is not what it seems, creature of the night." SHE had said looking down at him.

"What in the bloody hell do you want? I'm trying to eat." He snarled at her.

This 'girl' was interrupting his dinner. She just stared at him for a moment. He felt very strange. A tingle was going up and down his body. The demon inside him shook with fear. It seemed, the demon, feared this 'girl' more than anything in the world. Suddenly the 'girl' jumped from the horse with a stake in her hand. William went flying to the ground with one kick. His 'dinner' ran away into the night.

"Tell me why I shouldn't kill you, demon." SHE said looking down at him.

"I have no reason why you shouldn't kill me." He replied.

SHE suddenly looked up. "You may live this time. But next time you won't be so lucky."

William watched as she and the horse disappeared in a burst of light. William looked back and saw a large group of vampires coming toward him. Of course Angeles was leading them.

"Tell me a girl did not just beat you up, boy." Angeles quipped.

A movement from the back staled William's replied.

"Nooooo." Drusilla said, her eyes wandering back and forth, "IT is coming back. The wind is telling me to run, child, run."

As if on cue, the sound of thundering hooves filled the air. In the sky a blood red light was moving toward them. All of the vampires recoiled in fear.

"Time to go, kiddies." Angeles stated, moving away.

Present day

Spike felt the tingling again. It had been awhile. He looked out over the town. A blood red light hung over the section of town where the Mansion was. At least he knew where SHE was. He started the car and began to make his way to the light.


	5. Chapter 5

Title: The Hunter 

Author: Tu

Disclaimer: see chapter one

Author's Notes:

Giles felt as if he were going to be sick. He alone knew why the stone was here. It was the one thing he had managed to hide from everyone. Almost everyone, his grandmother had known. The stone was here to tell him it was time to pay his debt.

"Who is the Hunter?" Willow asked, "And who are you?"

"I am Catherine O'Kelly. But you may call me Cat. The Hunter is the guardian of the world. IT alone is the chosen on." Cat said staring at Buffy when she said this, "The Hunter must keep the balance of the world."

"That's cool. So it's like ying and yang." Oz said staring at the stone, "But why the rose?"

"The Hunter's mother's name was Rose. It was she who taught the Hunter everything. It is to honor her." Cat replied.

"O'Kelly, like the clothing, book, manufacturing, shipping, and trucking company's?" Willow asked.

Cat simply nodded. She looked past them out the window. She could feel the evil in this town. It was trying to hide from her. None of it was a threat to her. She felt a familiar tug at her mind. She turned and looked at the group before her. The redheaded girl said something and she simply nodded and smiled. The group began to discuss a topic among themselves.

Cat turned her attention to Rupert Giles. She knew he was afraid. She alone had seen the fear in his eyes as he looked at the sword. All who owed the Hunter feared it. She studied him closer. Yes, he would figure out who the Hunter was with no problem. His grandmother had taught him well. This didn't worry her. The blond-haired girl, what was her name again, she was the Slayer. She was stronger than any other Slayer Cat had met. Yet, even so, Cat knew she was no threat. The redhead girl was a novice spell caster. Cat could see that one day she would have great power. Cat made a note to keep an eye on her. The boy with the jet-black hair was a lycanthrope. He was no threat either. He would not change for another three weeks. Even in his wolf state he was no match for her. Joyce Summers held no threat what so ever. The other boy, thought.. He worried her. There was something about him.

"Okay, Alex, I'll take dumb questions for $500. Why is this sword moving?" Xander asked.

The others looked at him like he was crazy. Giles got a sick look on his face again. Cat grew worried. Only Chosen Watchers could see the Gate Of Hell move. As far as she knew Giles was the only one in this country who should have seen it move. That is why she had let it be displayed.

"Ok, Xander. I think it's time to take you home." Buffy said taking his arm," No more junk food for you tonight."

"We should be going now to," Willow said moving to leave with them, "It was nice to meet you Cat."

Cat nodded to her.

"I'm afraid I must be going as well." Giles stated.

Giles was extremely nervous as he walked out the door. He stopped and took a deep breath. He knew the Hunter would come soon.


	6. Chapter 6

Title: The Hunter Author: Tu 

Author's notes: _Italisised is in someone's mind or a dream._

Giles walked a few blocks down the street and stopped to think for a moment.

"Mr. Giles," a voice called, "We need to talk."

Giles turned around. Behind him was Cat O'Kelly. She seemed to have appeared out of thin air. As if by….

"Now really, I know magic, Mr. Giles. I can go any where ever I want." She said giving him a look.

"You can read thoughts as well."

"Yes, but that's not important. You know why I'm here." Cat said tilting her head as she looked at him.

Giles suddenly knew why. With the realization, came another realization. He knew why no one had ever been able to find the Hunter. No one would have thought to look among the people around them. The Hunter hide the same way the Slayer and her Watcher did…in plain sight.

"It would be imposable for you to be the Hunter." Giles stated trying to wrap his mind around it, "The Hunter is century's, no millenniums, old."

"Ah, but what is age, Rupert? Age is simply a measure of time. If one can live for all of time, than one would age at a different rate, wouldn't they?" Cat replied. "Let's finish this discussion some place else. Perhaps that lovely little apartment of yours."

A flash of light surrounded them. When his eyes focused, Giles found himself in his apartment. He knew all the legends and myths about the Hunter, but had always thought that the ones about teleportation and trans warping were false.

"No, they are not. I can do anything I want. Be anyone I want. Go anywhere I want." Cat said as she sat on his sofa.

"How did you know where I was?" Giles asked sitting down.

"I ran into an old friend of yours, Ripper. Really, I thought you made it quite plain to Ethan that you wanted nothing to do with him. What a connivance for me though. I told him I was looking for a friend's grandson and he helped me. Anyway, you know why I'm here."

"Yes, I was hoping to find you. I..I don't want Buffy to know about this." Giles looked at Cat with worry in his eyes.

"Buffy," Cat said snapping her fingers, " So that's what her name is. I knew 3who and what she was but couldn't get the name. Strange I got the other three's names but not her's. Oh well, can't win all the time."

Giles watched this….girl. She was all that kept the world turning. She was as old as time, but looked no older than Buffy and her friends. What could possible keep her going?

_I can't give up, Rupert; unlike you if I stop so does the world._

Giles could here her. Yet she wasn't speaking.

Cat smiled at his confusion.

"It's really not that hard really, Rupert. I simple give you the thoughts I want you to hear." She said. " You'll get use to it. Anyway. I've come to collect my debt. But not from you. Not yet. Someone else has sent me here."

Giles stared at her, confused.

She just looked at him.

_Open your mind, Rupert, let me in., He_ heard. Closing his eyes, Rupert Giles did something he hadn't done in a long time… he let his guard down.

It was as if he was swimming in a sea of mist. He could see Buffy, Xander Willow, Oz, Joyce, and Jenny sitting at a table having tea. FLOAT PAST THEM, a voice commanded. He had to make himself move on.

He saw a strange world around him now. Huts were all around him. Animals hung from racks beside the huts. He smelled the air. It was clean and crisp. The stream that ran thought the village was clean and blue. Giles knew he had gone back in time.

"Where am I?" he thought.

"Your in my mind, you are seeing my life A part of It." a familiar voice said.

"Why?"

"To understand there are something's you must see."

Giles watched as the village changed over and over again. Every new village brought him closer and closer to this year. A forest appeared and a familiar looking man laid o the ground. It flew by before he could make the man out.

The mist drew in and Giles could see the world changing.

Giles looked and suddenly saw…his Grandmother's house.

There was a small boy running in a maze. Running from…his mother. Giles knew the boy was he. He knew what was going to happen next. But how did she know? A shadow began to form around a fountain in the center of the maze. The roses on the maze wall seemed to pull away, as if something evil was coming. The shadow grew; tell it was the shape of a large horned demon. The boy ran into the center of the maze. The demon swept down intent on striking the boy down. Out of nowhere a second shadow swept down and covered the boy. The horned demon drew away, burned by the other shadow.

"I thought it was only a dream." He thought.

"No, It was real. I was only able to save you because I was there visiting your Grandmother."

The mist changed again.

A gypsy camp lay in font of him. He could feel pain radiating through his body. Turning his head, he saw a handful of vampires following him. The camp was still a ways off. A young girl suddenly appeared before him.  
"Go. They will help you." He stumbled into the camp. An old woman caught him as he fell. He heard the scream of the girl from behind him. Looking he saw that she had almost made it into the camp before being caught vampire held her and was draining her blood.

The mist faded back in before Giles could see the vampires face.

"That was it, wasn't it? That's where Angeles took the Gypsy's life."

"Ye, it was. Because of a mistake, and me Jenna was sent to watch Angel. Because I messed up, she died."

The mist opened once again. Giles gasped as he realized where and when they where.

"Ripper…RIPPER, wake up!"

"What do you want, Ethan?"

"Let's Go."

"Stay away from me!" a twenty-year-old Giles yelled.

"You knew what could happen!" a young Ethan yelled back.

" Oh, tell that to them. Someone DIED, Ethan. How should I have known this might happen? I have a mark to remember it by, now don't I" Giles screamed.

"You're such a wanker. You, who ran to us to escape being a Watcher." Ethan taunted.

"Shut up, Ethan."

The mist faded completely.

Suddenly Giles 'woke up'. He was sitting in the chair in his apartment. Cat sat across from him, watching him. He realized, that no one, no one had really ever guessed the power of the Hunter. Or the pain, the Hunter endured.

"You said you came for another's debt. Who's?" Giles asked.

"Someone very close to you." Cat said.

Giles thought about who he could know that would owe the Hunter something. Strangely he could only think of one person. She had been gone from him for years.

"No one ever truly leaves us." Cat said. "They only move on to other things."

"Perhaps your right."

Cat gave him a look. Giles chuckled.

"Do you know what the phrase from this life to the next means?" Cat asked as she flipped through magazine she had found.

"It's the Celtic belief that when one dies, their soul goes on to another. There by living fore ever. Much like reincarnation."

"It's more than that. It means that one can come back and atone for what they may have done wrong. You remind me of them." Cat said.

"Who?" Giles asked.

"Those who come back. Many go to the ghost roads, not leaving a part of themselves behind. But you are the kind who comes back time and time again. You see the world for what it is. For what it could be. And you see the evil that others don't or refuse to see. This is what makes you a good Watcher. It is what has made your family good Watchers."

"What do you mean?"

"You are not the first in your family to owe me something. And you won't be the last. Your father and mother both owed me favors, we'll call them. Your, Grandmother, May she rest in peace, owed me many favors, but I also owed her some. Your great-great-great-grandfather owed me some as well. In fact, one member of each generation of the Giles family has owed me a favor or two." Cat said.

"So, if all of them owed you favors, why were we never told about you?"

Cat sighed at him." Have you ever heard the poem 'A Shadow in the Night'?"

"Yes."

"That's me."


	7. Chapter 7

Title: The Hunter 

Author: Tu

Disclaimer: See Ch.1

Author's Notes: This Chapter is actually just the poem. Talked about in Chapter 6

A SHADOW IN THE NIGHT

A shadow in the night rides across the land.

It has a silver sword in hand.

A jet-black stead, this shadow rides

To find evil where it may hide.

Sleep now, my little one

For now the day is done

The shadow rides across the land

To guard against the deeds of man

It saves man and woman and child

It saves their souls from being defiled

Across the field and dale it rides

So hide you little eyes

Remember child when night doth fall

A shadow shall ride the land

Summer, Winter, Spring, or Fall

And as the shadow rides

The world shall turn again tell morn.


End file.
